Technical Field
This disclosure relates to integrated circuits, and more particularly, circuits for balancing performance and power consumption.
Description of the Related Art
In providing power to an integrated circuit (IC), guard bands between a maximum possible supply voltage and an actual supplied voltage are often implemented. For example, where the circuits of an IC can function without erroneous operation at 0.9 volts, the supply voltage provided thereto may be at 1.0 volts. Similarly, clock frequencies may also be limited to a value that is actually less than a maximum value at which the IC (or functional circuitry therein) could properly operate. For example, if a maximum clock frequency at which a particular IC could operate properly is 1.1 MHz, the clock signal may be provided at 1 MHz.
In many cases, the supply voltage and clock signal frequencies are related to one another in that an IC may be able to properly function at a higher clock frequency when a higher voltage is provided. In some cases, despite guard band specifications, an IC such as a processor may be operated in a performance state that exceeds global guard band ratings (i.e. at a higher voltage and/or clock frequency than rated with guard band). This may allow for higher performance and increased processing throughput for a particular IC.